1. Field of the Invention
The ability to specifically bind to antigens found in blood cell membranes offers numerous opportunities for diagnosis and treatment. It is found that as cells differentiate and mature, the surface antigens change so that by having a plurality of antibodies specific for a particular site, one can diagnose the number and character of the different blood cells present in a serum sample.
The discovery by Milstein and Kohler of hybridomas capable of producing monoclonal antibodies offers opportunities to produce antibodies specific for a single determinant site. While hybridomas provide for the generation of antibodies specific for a determinant site, the problem still remains of obtaining antibodies which allow for the desired differentiation. Since cells have a large number of surface antigens, and each of these antigens may have one or more determinant sites, one is dealing with a large population of antigenic sites. As the cells differentiate and mature, the surface antigens change. Therefore, in developing the monoclonal antibody, one must find the antibody which specifically binds to the antigen which is diagnostic of the particular cells or subpopulation of cells of interest.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Evans et al. has developed T cell specific monoclonal antibodies which react with a series of cell surface molecules designated Leu-1, Leu-2, Leu-3 and Leu-4. Leu-1 and Leu-4 are present on all peripheral T cells, whereas Leu-2 and Leu-3 define functionally distinct T cell subpopulations. Human T cell differentiation antigens have been described using the T series monoclonal antibodies produced by Schlossman, Reinherz and their collaborators. Reinherz and Schlossman (1980) Cell 19:821. A E-rosette inhibition assay has been described by Bieber and Stinson (1979) J. Imm. Methods 30:329.